Network-based service providers exist that allow customers to purchase and utilize computing resources, such as virtual machine instances, on a permanent or as-needed basis. In addition to virtual machine instances, these types of services typically allow customers to purchase and utilize other types of computing resources. For example, customers might be permitted to purchase access to and use of block data storage services, database services, networking resources, and other types of computing resources. Utilizing these computing resources as building blocks, customers of such a service can create custom “solutions” that provide various types of functionality, such as application hosting, backup and storage, content delivery, World Wide Web (“Web”) hosting, enterprise information technology (“IT”) solutions, database services, and others.
In order establish private, dedicated connectivity between a customer network and a service provider network providing computing resources such as those described above, a direct network-to-network connection might be established between the customer network and the service provider network. Utilizing such a direct network-to-network connection between the customer network and the service provider network might provide various benefits to the customer including, but not limited to, reducing bandwidth costs by lowering the amount of data transmitted over the Internet, providing consistent network performance, and providing private connectivity to computing resources within the service provider network.
It can sometimes be challenging, however, to test the connectivity and performance of a direct network-to-network connection between a customer network and a service provider network. This challenge often stems from the fact that the individuals provisioning the direct network-to-network connection (e.g. individuals at a telecommunications company) are not the same individuals that will configure and utilize the computing resources provided by the service provider. The individuals provisioning the connection, therefore, might be unfamiliar with the configuration and use of the computing resources provided by the service provider. Moreover, testing the connectivity and performance of a direct network-to-network connection between a customer network and a service provider network often requires that trained individuals be present at both sides of the connection (i.e. one individual located at the customer premises and one individual located at the service provider premises). Having trained individuals at both sides of a network connection is not, however, always practical or economical.
The disclosure made herein is presented with respect to these and other considerations.